Build a PC for Dad

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My father, Joel Durham Sr., is the reason you are reading this.

Not only because I’m building him a computer for Father’s Day, which is only a few days away as of the time this article was posted, but also because he turned me into the gearhead-geek that I am.

Dad got me my first computer, a Commodore 64, and he taught me how to use it. Dad taught me how to solder. He wound me up and turned me loose into the field of electronic gadgetry, and I’ve never looked back. The least I can do for him is to take stock of the pile of parts in my workshop and throw together a system for him—one that’s a little more modern than the old beast he’s limping along with now.

If you’re a computer geek like those of us at ExtremeTech, you might be able to build Dad something without breaking your pocketbook. The system at the core of this article should be considered a set of guidelines, not a definitive and unbreakable set of rules. I took stock of what I had lying around, procured a few core parts to keep things modern, and built a gem that’s far better than what Dad currently calls his PC.

The first thing I did was march into my workshop and look around.

Taking StockI hate looking around my workshop. It’s a mess. The cliché is, “it looks like a bomb went off” is insufficient to describe the disaster area that is my shop.

Still, I know I have lots of parts—that work—on the shelves and benches that line my electronic home. For instance, I turned up most of the peripherals I’d need for a computer, including a decent mouse, a nice keyboard, and an adequate set of speakers.

Storage wasn’t a problem either; I have hard drives and optical drives, and even a speedy, USB flash drive for ReadyBoost purposes.

As for the core components—well, I’d need a motherboard and a CPU. Memory isn’t a problem, as I’ve collected a few extra sticks over the years, and the same goes for audio and graphics cards. I could spare some quick DDR2 RAM, and one of my non-OEM copies of Windows Vista Home Premium.

Most of my cases are in use, so I had to score one of those along with a power supply.

In taking stock, I discovered that I already had much of what I’d need to build Dad a pretty darn good computer. Now let’s check out the configuration I managed to scrap together. Continued…